Isabella
by Lila Thomson
Summary: About young high school sweethearts, a few vampires, and hey! I'll even throw some werewolves and Abusive fathers into the mix! R
1. Are You Guys Being Safe?

_**ISABELLA**_

_**A/N: This is the new, and hopefully improved in your eyes, Isabella. Please R&R!!! And I'll love you forever!!**_

_**COPYRIGHT © LILA**_

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The various colors of bright oranges and blues paid a longing to my eyes as the sun rose, so beautiful. My arms pulled my knees closer to my body as I watched silently, listening to the bird's song randomly as they awoke. The air had a slight chill to it, I noted, and the morning seemed to have a sort of eerie feel to it. A breeze brushed across my face and I lifted a hand up to slide a strand of hair from my vision. The sun, now fully lifted from the horizon and visible over the roof tops, shone a gleam through the hazy clouds that reflected from my crystal blue eyes. I looked away and pulled a leaf from the tree that was next to me on this black tile covered roof. My hands absent-mindedly tore at the leaf, until there was nothing but a stem, and I threw it to the ground below. My dark blue back-pack lay beside me, being pushed against by a patch of wind passing by. I could see two blocks down to a big two story house that I knew too well. I glanced down at my wrist watch, noting it was a quarter past seven. I gripped my pack and stood up carefully. The roof I was on wasn't exactly known to be all that sturdy.

I grabbed the tree and swung myself over the edge of the roof with one of its limber branches and let go just as I was only about 7 or odd feet from the ground, as I had practiced so many times before. I landed hard on my feet and walked out onto the grass, which was in dire need of water, and headed for Jake's house. I could hear the noise of my shoes clapping against the asphalt of the road and began to detest the noise. I glanced up at the creamy white house as I approached. The sun reflected on the glassy windows, causing me to avert my gaze. I stepped onto the sidewalk leading on to the big wooden door, decorated with a shining blue tinted window. I could see a single light on in the second story as I stepped up to the door. My fingers hesitated slightly as the pushed into the doorbell twice. I could hear a muffled chime coming from the inside as I waited.

"It's open!" I heard a familiar voice yell audibly. I twisted the golden door handle and entered without question. Everything seemed to be in complete order. The carpet was an unmistakable white and the furniture seemed untouched. I hesitated at the door way, not wanting to step even a toe onto the whiteness of the carpet.

Then he walked around the corner and my mouth fell open and I barely had time enough to catch it before he looked at me. Jake. He was shirtless... and oh... my... god...

I noticed I was staring at him and quickly gathered up all the sensibility I had in me at this point. He slipped a gray cotton T-shirt over his... gorgeous six pack and smiled at me.

"Isabella, hey." I cleared my throat almost silently and slumped my pack near the floor.

"Hey." I said in my shy voice, still a little shaken up by what I had just seen. He looked at me in disbelief.

"What? No hug?" I laughed and stepped over to him, throwing my arms around his neck. He laughed. "That's more like it. Want some eggs? I just made some and I was just about to eat."

I pulled away from him slightly with his arms still around my waist. I didn't want him to move them. "Sure." I smiled at him as he let go of me and turned toward the kitchen. I followed after him, wishing we could still be in the hug.

The kitchen smelt of burnt eggs and bacon. Oh no. I smiled wide as he turned around to look at me. "I can tell you've been having fun cooking." I said, motioning toward the still visible burnt eggs in the trash bin. He smiled a little.

"Hey, it's not my fault that you have to watch them every second. I had stuff to do!" I laughed at him. "It's not funny! But I did manage to make some of them edible... "He moved out of my way to reveal 5 eggs on the counter, white and fluffy.

I laughed at him again. "You're in dire need of a cook." His smile widened. "I know." He hopped up and sat on the counter, opening up a cabinet behind him and pulled out a china plate.

"You're going to eat eggs off of that?" I asked with a color of disbelief in my tone. He shrugged.

"Sure, why not? It's not like I'm ever going to use them for much else." I guess he had a point there. I just shrugged along with him, took the glass plate he had offered me and stepped over to the much-to-large table.

His parents lived in Germany, due to their jobs, and so he had lived here alone since he was old enough to be without a nanny. I must've zoned out for a moment because I heard him call my name from right next to me.

"Are you okay?" He sat a glass of milk in front of me.

"I'm fine. Thanks." I took a bite of eggs and a sip of the milk. I noticed the eggs had no salt and made a small face, and soon after hoped he hadn't seen it.

"Can I use your bathroom?" I turned around to him so suddenly; I hadn't had time to realize how close he was to me. I found myself staring directly into his eyes for a long moment and backed away slightly.

He mirrored my movement. "Why do you always ask like that? You know you can." I heard the small stutter20in his words and smiled sweetly.

"Of course." I laughed a little nervously. "Sorry." I turned away from him fast and headed upstairs before he could say anything else. The bathroom was as big as my room. This wasn't really saying much because I lived in the attic.

I turned the faucet on in one of the sinks and splashed some water on my face. My dark brown hair was nearly past my waist now. There was a light tap on the door and I realized I hadn't shut it.

"Hey, it's about 7:40. We should probably get going'." Jake took in my appearance and turned away. I didn't say a word, but followed him downstairs. He led me to the garage door. He opened it to complete darkness. My hand hit the light switch and the whole room sprang to life. There were 2 cars side by side. One was the Nissan 370z. It was my absolute favorite, and also what we were driving. The one next to it was the Nissan 350z. I loved that one as well, but it wasn't as good as the 370, to say in the least. He walked around and opened the door for me as he always did. I slid in without a word and he shut it carefully behind me. A second later, he was next to me, listening to the purr of the engine.

"I'll call her to tell her we're on our way." He got out his shiny new phone.

"Oh no you won't!" I protested. "You're driving! Let me call her." He sighed and surrendered his blackberry to me. I dialed her number carefully, throwing him a smile in the process. There were a few rings until finally she answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey Ski, we're on our way." I heard some noise in the background.

"Umm... Yeah, I'm not coming to school today. I've got... hum... things to take care of." I looked at the phone a little funny as I heard her giggle, and then I remembered her boyfriend got back in town yesterday. Gross.

"Okay, I guess I'll talk to you later."

"Stop" She laughed again. "I'm on the phone!"

"Ski?" I thought I was going to be sick.

"Yeah yeah, sorry. Okay I got to go! Bye!" And the line went dead. I stared at the phone for a few seconds with a disgusted look on my face.

"What?" Jake interrupted my gaze, thank God.

"She's not coming to school today." I breathed, handing his phone back to him and looking out the window.

"Oh..." He said knowingly. Thankfully he didn't ask for an explanation_._

The trip to school seemed surprisingly shorter than usual. And that was kind of a downer, because now Jake and I had to go our separate ways until lunch. I gave him a sideways look as we both stepped out of his car. A gust of went blew part of his black hair out of his eyes. Though he was an obvious Goth, he didn't act like one in the least. He didn't do drugs and he was a really nice guy. That was more than you could say for some of his friends...

"Hum... Isabella?" He interrupted my thoughts gradually. "Huh?" Now I figured I probably had an extremely stupid look on my face and I looked away a little embarrassed. He looked at the ground and we started walking toward the school building absent-mindedly.

"After school, you want to... go with me to... Miranda's party?" I almost tripped over a piece of sidewalk that was sticking out of place, and just barely caught myself. My face turned blank.

"Miranda's party?" I asked, feeling really stupid now.

"Yeah... If you want to... I mean, you don't have to but..." Oh no... He was starting to think I didn't want to go with him. GOD, IM SO STUPID!

"No no no! Of course I want to go. You just kind of... caught me by suprise." He opened the door for me. "But... You mean as a... Date?" He looked at me kind of funny and I immediately regretted asking.

"Well... Yeah. If you don't mind." My whole freakin' heart exploded at that point. I was surprised I still had a strait look on my face.

"Okay." I smiled. "I'll see you at lunch then." I turned around too quickly and a locker slammed into my face. OUCH!!... I caught myself from falling and felt arms grab my waist. I looked up to see Jake smiling at me.

"You okay?" He started laughing. My face was beet red, I could tell just by the expression on his face.

"Uh..." I straitened myself up and he let go of my waist. "I'm fine. Haha... See you later." And I disappeared as fast as possible, making sure I didn't hit another locker. That was worse than embarrassing. That was just torture. As I walked around the corner, I looked both ways. There was no one in sight.

"YESSSS!!!" I whispered loudly. Yes, I can whisper loudly, among my many talents. I had a huge smile on my face until I looked up to see one of the cameras staring me full in the face. My face turned red, but I didn't care. HE JUST ASKED ME ON A DATE!! Kind of.

Almost everyone was buzzing in the cafeteria, waiting for the first bell. I walked on over to the 10th grade side. Sophomores here I come. I saw a few people that I recognized and started off in that general direction.

"Lizzy!!" I heard my nickname being called and automatically turned to see Tyler running strait for me with Maverick and his girlfriend tagging along behind. They looked so cute, although completely in black, both of them, they made the perfect couple. Dianne's bleach blond hair kind of stood out in all of the darkness. I sat my stuff to the floor, preparing myself for what I knew was coming. He leapt at me and embraced me in a hug.

"Oh my God girl! You look so happy! Why the sparkling smile babe?" He released me and I took an exaggerated breath. Maverick and Dianne walked up.

"Hey Isabella." They said one right after the other.

"Hey." I smiled at their cute couple-ness.

"So? Why you look so glamorous?" Tyler put his arm around me and started leading me to our usual table. "Tell me all." I laughed. I leaned away from him and took in his... well... his "ness" I should put it. He had black hair almost to his shoulders with little blue and pink streaks in his bangs. It wouldn't really look as good on anyone else but him.

"Well... I ummm... "I blushed deeply.

"Oh my God! Its Jake isn't it! OHH!!" He squealed and gave me a big hug before I had time to respond.

"Whoa whoa! Tyler! He just asked me to Miranda's party tonight. It's nothing!" I smiled wider and hid my face behind my long hair.

"Nothing?! Pasha!! It's everything! OH!" He brought his voice down to an audible whisper. "Make sure you make him bring a condom! Are you guys being safe?" Maverick and Dianne burst out laughing and my face got so red I had to cover it with my sleeves.

"Tyler!"

He backed away in defense. "What? I'm just lookin' out for you girlfriend!" The bell rang and everyone began shuffling out. I rolled my eyes at him and skipped in front of a whole bunch of people to get away, my face burning red.

* * *

_~END OF FOURTH HOUR~_

My mind rang with dizziness... The clock ticked slowly while I waited with the up-most impatience. The second hand on the ordinarily black clock actually seemed to be moving slower with every tick! I let out a big sigh unintentionally and turned a few heads my way. I sunk down farther into my chair until their eyes averted. This was really becoming torture. Only one minute left! My bag lay ready, the strap already clinging to my shoulder.

The bell rang and I shot out of my chair, all of that bottled up impatience catching me with a pulling anxiety. Ryan was next to me in seconds trying to keep up with my pace.

"What's your hurry Isabella?" He grabbed my arm gently, slowing my pace barely. "Lunch isn't goin' anywhere! Slow down!" I stopped suddenly and he flew in front of me a few feet.

"Hurry? I'm not in a hurry." I walked slowly past him, acknowledging his awed expression out of the corner of my eye. I smiled in the other direction.

"...You're insane.." He caught up to me and we kept at a normal pace. "I'm not even gonna ask..."

I laughed. "I'm just hungry is all." We walked through the double doors of the cafeteria and got into a fast building line. He looked at me funny. "How long has it been since you've eaten? A few weeks or something??" I laughed again, "Noooo... " We grabbed trays and waited as the lunchladies filled them with school food... Gross...

Ryan just shook his head and walked silently behind her for a few seconds before he spoke again. "So, what's up anyway. Today's pretty boring huh."

I nodded at him. "Yeah.. I guess.." I felt the corner of my mouth lift into a small smile and I turned away. I heard Ryan laughing. I turned to see him with a huge amused smile on his face.... Oh crap. He saw.

"What?" I asked too innocently.

"You know what." He smiled wider. "Okay Isabella, What happened?" I turned to go to our usual table and bumped strait into someone, knocking my tray from my hands. I felt arms grab my waist and I looked up to see Jake standing there, smiling at me.

"Second time today, Isabella." He laughed. "I'm gonna have to become your regular savior aren't I?" I lay there in his arms for a split second, feeling like a total idiot. Then my mind caught up with my body functions and I stood up, my face on fire.

"Sorry.." It came out as an audible whisper, just barely. He smiled at me, and I saw he had my tray safely in his hands, not a scratch in sight. How'd he do that? "Oh thanks." I took the tray from him and he started walking to our usual table, Ryan and I not far behind.

Ryan grabbed my sleeve and I looked back to see him smiling. "Ohhh... Now I see.." His grin grew.

"Shut up!" I hissed at him. But my smile didn't fade.

I thudded down on a blue chair, setting my bag next to my feet, and looked at Jake. I couldn't say anything, still feeling heat in my face from just a second before, so I looked back down at my food and poked at it with my fork.

"Yes Isabella, I see what you mean. Soooooo hungry." Ryan whispered to me, flashing me another one of his amused smiles. I went to kick him under the table.

"Ouch." Jake said unexpectidly as he looked under the table. I hid my face in my hair as I felt the redness come back and heard Ryan burst into whispering laughter right beside me. I could tell this was going to be a loooong day.

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**A/N: Thanks for reading everyone. Now If you would kindly select the little thing that says 'review' and share your oppinion... I would be very very thankful! =] And, terribly sorry for the extreme shortness.**


	2. Getting Complicated

**CHAPTER 2 : Getting Complicated.**

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The buses were leaving quickly now. I stood on the sidewalk, watching the disappear one by one around the corner. I reached a silent hand into my pocket and pulled out my ipod, playing a random song without really looking at my selection. A quiet version of Fix You by Coldplay sang into my ears.

_"When you try your best... But you don't succeed... When you get what you want... But not what you need... When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep... Stuck in reverse... "_

I sang along in my head and waited calmly, sitting down on a nearby bench. The holes in my jacket were getting torn worse and worse as every day passed by. I'd be needing a new one soon... I closed my eyes and lay my head back. The wind caressed my cheeks, as if whispering their secrets to me. And to me only. Whispering their desires, their fears, their devotions... And then it left me, and all was silent, save the everflowing music in my ears.  
A hand rest on my shoulder and I looked up to see Jake looking down at me. He held my gaze with no sign of emotion in his eyes and I quickly turned the music off with a flick of my index finger.

"Hey." I stood up and adjusted the pack on my shoulder.

"Hey. Sorry about the wait, I was being held up by my English teacher for this stupid assignment and blah blah blah..." He smiled. "You know, school stuff." His smile sent me weak in the knees and I gave the effort to smile back the best I could.

"Yeah," I gave a small laugh. "I know exactly what you mean." He smiled wider and gave a small motion toward his car, and we both started walking in that general direction.

The wind pushed against me once more, brushing my hair from my face. I adjusted the pack on my shoulder once more and watched the ground as we walked, not wanting to look at Jake. He walked around and opened the door for me. I sent him a small smile before climbing in, gathering up the courage to look at him. To my surprise, his eyes held a look of concern. He shut the door and as I watched him walk around to his side, I wondered what had been going through his mind for him to look at me like that... Like I was a little girl he was saving, instead of a high school sophomore he was giving a ride home...

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He pulled to a stop in front of my house a few minutes later. It felt kind of awkward actually, us not having spoken a word to each other the whole way home. I waved good bye and stepped out onto the sidewalk. From a house down the street I could hear people screaming at eachother, and glass shattering. I quickly turned my ipod back on and turned to look down the road, where I saw Jake's car disappearing behind some trees. I let out a small sigh as I walked over to the side of my house. I threw my pack into the nearby tree and quickly climbed up. When I was high enough, I grabbed my pack once more and climbed into my window. There was a small lamp on my bedside table and I flicked it on. The dim light echoed shadows along the walls. I sat my pack on the floor and collapsed on my small twin bed. I closed my eyes and listened to my music, the muscles in my body exhausted.

Minutes seemed to have passed by before I opened my eyes once more. I turned my head slightly to stare at the picture on the bedside table. It was my mother and I on my thirteenth birthday. The smile on her face seemed calm and sure of her surroundings. I wondered what that thirteen year old version of myself thought my life would be like two years later. Certainly this would be the last thing in her mind.

I rolled over on my side and continued to look at the picture, hugging the pillow my mom had sewed for me when I was just a girl. The embroidery on it saying:

_To mommy's beautiful little girl, I love you with all my heart._

'... Mommy's beautiful little girl wasn't so beautiful anymore. Her clothes old and torn... Having to use public restrooms or a friends house to even take a shower...' I rolled over to face the ceiling once more. 'If only you could see me now mom. What would you say?'

I heard uneven footsteps coming up the stairs and I shot up quickly, yanking an earphone from my ear. I ran and grabbed my pack, preparing to lunge out the window, to escape, when the door burst open.

"You bitch! Where do you think you're off to, huh?!" He stood there, tall and ragged, and I slumped my bag down to the floor, knowing I wasn't going to escape this. His muscles would overtake me in a matter of seconds. And on top of everything else, he was drunk. But not as drunk as i hoped.

"Your not going anywhere!"He stumbled in my direction and I flinched back against the wall. "Don't you run from me!" He grabbed my hair violently and banged my head against the wall, holding me there. At this point, I knew what was coming. All of my muscles relaxed and I prepared myself to endure it again. "I'll give you a reason to run! You.. you... You whore!" He raised a hand back and I closed my eyes.

Before I knew it, I was on the floor, my face hot. I lay there, unmoving. He stood above me, staring at me. His eyes outraged. I continue to lay still, barely even breathing. What seemed like forever went by, but finally he turned around and headed back for the door, mumbling to himself.

"She ruined everything... She's the reason... " Then my door slid to a halt behind him, not quite shutting. I didn't move. I couldn't seem to. I saw blood seeping onto the wooden floor.  
Slowly I lifted my hand to touch my face. I pulled it away to reveal blood. Allot of it. He had never hit me like that before. He'd hit me countless times, but only left bruises or small cuts.

I lifted myself up slowly, my head spinning. My pack lay right beside me and I opened it to find a small mirror. I held it to my face and saw that my eye was swelling up and there was allot of blood coming from a gash in my cheek, left from his ring. I let the mirror drop back into my pack and I leaned back against the wall. My breathing was heavy. The walls seemed to close in around me. I had to get out of here.

I grabbed my pack quickly and jumped out my window, landing on one of the trees branches. I hopped down the rest of the way then, at first walking, then starting in a slow run, accelerating every second. I had to get away from here. I had to go. Anywhere but here. But then I slowed. I couldn't leave Jake. I just couldn't. I closed my eyes and exhaled.

_Maybe I should go to him... He'd know what to do..._But then I put that whole thought to rest as of then, remembering how my face must have looked. I continued walking, but turned a corner before I got to Jake's house, not wanting to run into him. Sympathy wasn't high on the list of things I wanted. I wasn't really thinking about where I was headed, I just kept walking off the anger. But, I ended up in the park. A gravel path wound the perimeter of the lake. It was surrounded by trees. So, I began walking down it. I pulled out my ipod and saw that it was still playing. I shut it off and shoved it back in my pocket, preferring the sound of the birds here and there.

So many things entered my mind. The party. Jake. Ski. Mom. How things used to be.

Then I saw a bench up ahead, deserted and alone. As I came closer, I decided to sit down and watch the lake for a while. It was a bit rusted, but I sat down none the less. I closed my eyes and listened to everything around me. The trees rustling beneath the wind's hold. The birds singing to each other. The soft ripples of the lake hitting the shore. Everything seemed in tune with one another. Almost unstoppable.

Then I heard the unmistakable crackle of leaves, signaling human footsteps from behind me. I opened my eyes and spun around fast to reveal a dark shadow in human form. I jumped up from the bench and stared at it.

"Who are you?" I asked, trying not to show the definite fear in my voice. "Show yourself."

The dark figure obeyed and began walking towards me. I kept a healthy distance, in case of a need to run. It was a guy. He stepped into the sunlight slowly, revealing black hair and torn clothing. He spoke like a gentlemen, very kindly. "Oh, sorry if I scared you. Our dog ran off into the woods and I'm trying to track him. Didn't mean to startle you like that." The way he talked seemed... different. Like he wasn't from anywhere near here.

I smiled politely. "No no. It's fine. Don't worry about it." He looked at me in concern.

"Excuse the sudden change of subject, but if you don't mind me asking... What happened to you miss?" I looked at him in confusion, until I remembered the cut on my cheek. My hands flew up to touch the gash instinctively, that was still bleeding slightly.

"Oh.. Nothing. Just a little accident. It doesn't even hurt."

"Shall I take a look at it? It looks pretty bad." He offered his hand out to me.

"Oh no. Thank you but I have to get back home. It was nice talking to you." I started to turn around and walk in the opposite direction, waving a goodbye to him. His gentle smile seemed to hold something else to it. And it scared me.

"And lovely talking to you." His voice faded, but I could've sworn I heard something else added. Like, "Until next time Isabella..." Which had me walking faster until I was out of his view, and then running.

* * * * *

I stopped in front of Ski's house, wondering if she would mind a little visit. Apparently, I had fallen and hit my face on the side of the old rocking chair in my room. That was believable I supposed. I walked up the little walkway stones and climbed up the steps of her porch. The doorbell chimed twice before Ski came to the door.

"Lizzy! What happened!?" She grabbed my arm and pulled me inside, giving me barely any room to shut the door behind me.

"I slipped and fell on the edge of the rocking chair. It doesn't even hurt anymore. Don't worry about it." I hoped she would just leave it alone after that.

"Don't worry about it?! The hell with that! You're bleeding!" She pulled me to a stop in her kitchen and got some ice. Her mom walked in about that time.

"Good heavens child! You're bleeding!" Tell me something I don't know. "What happened?"

Ski spoke up in front of me. "She fell on a rocking chair!" She handed me a rag filled with ice.

"Thanks but I'm fine! Really. It doesn't hurt." I tried to hand it back to her.

"Now you just stop fussing and hold that to your head. I'll make you some hot cocoa and you'll feel better in no time." Her mom said.

_It doesn't even hurt! What will it take to get through to these people!?_

I reluctantly held it to my head and followed Ski's satisfied expression up stairs. The walls had several different family pictures of her and her mother. Her brother and deceased father was there too. Her brother, Colin, was irresistibly cute. He was tall with dark hair and his smile just lit up. I had to admit, he was gorgeous, but a complete player. He was always gone on dates, sometimes more than one, and sometimes he wouldn't come home at all some nights. Depending how his date went I guess. He was about 17, but still a sophomore. Let's just say he didn't really concentrate on his grades.

Ski was another story. She was pretty, and had almost every guy on her own little imaginary leash, but she didn't exactly throw herself at people, her boyfriend excluded. They both shared the dark brown hair and bright green eyes, which they had gotten from their father, who died when Ski was 8 of a heart attack.

We walked into Ski's room, which revealed soft pink walls and a bright pink bed with fluffy pillows. I didn't exactly approve of her decor choice, but never said anything. Just thought to myself... _BRIGHT!!! Ugh.._

She plopped down on her fuzzy pink beany chair and looked at me. I sat down on the floor against the bed, facing her.

"So, what's goin' on?" She smiled. "You goin' to Miranda's party? I heard it's gonna be allot of fun."

"Yeah." I felt a blush coming on but tried my best to force it back. "Jake asked me to go with him this morning." She sat there and gaped at me for a few long seconds.

"Your kidding! Oh my God that's great! Finally he asks you out!" I waved my hands at her.

"He didn't ask me out. Just to go with him. I don't think he really means anything like... serious."

"Whatever! He asked you to go with him. He definitely means business girl. Trust me... By the end of tonight you guys will have already made out... If not more." I blushed deeply at that. She stopped a second then continued. "We'll have to fix that up though...." She motioned toward me and my hand went up to brush across the cut in my cheek. I frowned and looked at the floor.

"Yeah, guess i'll have to be more careful from now on huh..."

"For sure!" She agreed... Although she didn't really know the extent behind my meaning...

Ski went rummaging through her closet, looking for something good to wear to the party. I watched from on her bed and laughed to myself when she got frustrated over the smallest things. She finally settled on short jean shorts and a light pink tank top that showed off her cleavage... Allot..

"Okay. Now that that's finally fixed.. let's get you in something sexy shall we?" I laughed and followed her into her walk in closet. She went on a crazy rampage trying to find something that would 'fit my personality'... I had to jump out of the line of fire every now and then, but finally, she picked something out, and seemed acceptable satisfied with it. I tried it on in her bathroom and looked myself over. I was wearing really tight jeans, white flip flops, and a backless black top. It hugged my body comfortingly, but exposed areas I wasn't exactly prone to. I looked at Ski helplessly.

"Oh don't give me that look. You look gorgeous. Now, for the makeup and hair." She giggled and I sighed. Here comes the shear torture.

* * * *

I stood in Ski's living room, next to her fluffy grey couch. Her mother walked in. "Isabella, honey, you look beautiful." I smiled unconvinced.

"Thank you Mrs. Hovious." She smiled kindly.

"Anytime, child." She turned back toward a wooden table with her sewing kit lie neatly in place. I heard pounding coming down the stairs. I turned to see Ski's glittering self coming toward me.

"Hey, wasn't Jake coming to your house to get you?" Oh, I had completely forgot! And it's almost time for him to leave! Hopefully he doesn't try to be respectively early... "And Cameron's almost here too!" She looked at me hopelessly.

"Oh Ski. Don't worry about it. It's only a couple of houses down. I'll walk." She stopped me.

"No, It's okay. I'll just call him." I waited a couple of second while she dialed the number. Then she looked at me and sighed. "His phone is dead."

I started walking for the door. "Like I said. I can walk. It's only a couple blocks down. Piece of cake."

"But it's 11:00!" Ski protested.

"So? I've walked plenty of times in the dark. I'll be fine. I got to get going! It's getting late." I twisted the handle and stepped out, letting the door shut with a small thud behind me before anyone else could voice their opinion.

The night was colder than I thought it would be. The moon was lingering amidst the trees inconspicuously and the grass was damp from last nights small shower. I stepped back onto the sidewalk, deciding to skip the shortcut through the grass, thinking of Ski's white flipflops. I crossed my arms and held my waist from the cold. My hair whipped in all directions as the wind met random strands. I stepped out onto the road and started walking to the side. A weeping willow stranded in a vacant field swished in the wind, as if waving at me. The clouds rolled over the moon as I walked on. The streetlamp above me flickered out, leaving me in complete darkness. I put my arms down at my sides and started walking faster. I heard thudding coming from behind me, and forced myself to look back. I saw nothing out of the ordinary, so I kept going, getting faster and faster, hoping to reach the next streetlamp sooner than later.

I heard the thudding again. Sounded like angry footsteps. I walked faster. The thudding sped up too, seeming to get closer every second. Finally, I started to jog. The steps got louder and louder. I broke into a full speed run. My breathing was harsh and I was approaching the next streetlamp. In the barely noticeable brim of light the streetlamp was casting, I saw a faded shadow flying toward me. I knew I wasn't getting away from it. My defense mode kicked in and I turned suddenly to see a black Shadow cross over me before I hit the ground.

A cloth with toxic fumes was smothered onto my face. I kicked as hard as I could, and broke my capturers hold on my waist. I screamed out and tried to get up, with no luck, they grabbed my leg and pulled me back again. A dark brown truck came zooming around the corner at that second and stopped suddenly beside us.

"Help!" I screamed. A person in all black jumped out of the truck and kicked me hard in the stomach. I gasped as the air completely left my lungs. The cloth was forced over my mouth once again and I couldn't fight it off anymore. I just remember thinking of Jake's face. I looked over to see his house a block down. In plain sight. Then it all went dark, and I was tumbling downward.

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**A/N: Thanks for reading every one! =] This chapter was originally named 'Taken' but i changed that for various reasons that are my own. ^_^ Please review and let me know what you think =D Critics are appreciated.**


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